This is a high-country photo you just have to see

This amazing image was captured by Nolan Nitschke, 27 at Yosemite National Park — he calls it “Yosemite’s Rainbow Lightning.” Copyright Nolan Nitschke/Caters News Agency. Used by Permission.

From Tom Stienstra at SFGate:

The above photo by Nolan Nitschke, 27, taken at Yosemite National Park, might be the most dramatic lightning photo I’ve ever seen. The more you look, the more you see. It’s so pretty, it looks like a painting.

The rain that came with the thunderstorms will minimize the danger of forest fires for a few weeks in the Sierra Nevada.

The peak time for thunderstorms is from mid-June to early July in the central Sierra, though they can erupt any time when conditions are right.

If you are caught in a thunderstorm with lightning, this is what you do:

— Gauge the danger: You can determine the imminent danger by calculating the exact distance of the lightning strikes. Count the seconds between the sight of lightning and the sound of thunder. Every five seconds from flash to bang is equal to 1 mile away in distance.

— If it’s close: If you are in sparsely-wooded terrain, do not stand next to a tree; lone trees act like lightning rods. If you have any metal, like wire-rimmed glasses or a metal hiking poles, take off your glasses and discard the metal rod. If a forest is nearby, take refuge. If you are hiking above tree line, descend into a canyon.

My full story about thunderstorms, lightning, how to stay safe, where best to see it, how it happens, and what is happening right now, appears in Thursday’s Chronicle and at www.sfchronicle.com/lifestyle/outdoors/.